“Will, there’s a gathering of the western nobles next week. Would you come with me?” Father spoke to me about the nobles’ party.
Up until now, whenever a child accompanied them to a nobles’ party, it was usually Older Brother who went along.
But now, my older brother is attending the King’s Capital School, and my younger sister is still too little.
I see, that’s why they’re asking me.
Still, I felt a bit hesitant.
“If I go with you, I think the topic of me acquiring the Production Skill will come up. Wouldn’t that cause trouble for you or Mother?”
To be honest, the noble children had teased me before about my chubby build.
Frankly, I didn’t have good memories of these nobles’ parties.
“It’ll be fine. It won’t be any trouble at all.”
“That’s right. The Production Skill is an admirable skill. The furniture and bags you make are wonderful, Will. You should be more confident.”
With my parents saying things like that, I couldn’t refuse.
So, I resigned myself to attending the party.
This time, the party was being held at the mansion of Count Cardiff next door.
As we rode in the carriage, the grand mansion came into view.
Among the western nobles, the Fairchild Family, House Cardiff, and Walterford Count Family are considered the highest-ranking.
After getting off the carriage at the front entrance, a servant of the Count’s household guided us, and we walked towards the grand hall.
The corridor from the entrance to the hall had frescoes painted on the ceiling, with vases and paintings displayed on either side.
When we entered the hall, my parents exchanged greetings with nobles they knew.
As I followed behind them, I heard voices around me.
I could hear the other noble children saying things like, “Still as fat as ever,” or, “I heard he got the Production Skill.”
‘Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to come.’
As I held my head, for some reason, several adult nobles approached—not to my parents, but directly to me.
“Are you William, perhaps?” they asked.
“Yes, I am William Fairchild.”
“Oh, so it’s you. The furniture you make is excellent. The other day, Margrave gave me a chair, and the craftsmanship was truly splendid.”
“I received a bag from Lady Mary. Its quality rivals the most popular workshops in the capital. I was astonished when I heard her son made it!”
It seemed Father and Mother had been giving the furniture and bags I made to the other western nobles.
“I heard you built houses for the Dwarf Clan. Building enough for a hundred people in such a short time is incredible. It seems the Production Skill is full of potential.”
Apparently, they knew about me building houses for the Dwarf Clan as well.
I was a bit startled to be surrounded by all these adult nobles, but I was happy that they appreciated my Production Skill.
When I glanced over, Father and Mother were watching me with gentle smiles.
Ah, now I understand—they’d been gifting furniture and bags to the neighboring nobles, and talking about the Dwarf Clan houses, all to spread the word about the value of the Production Skill.
So, this is what they meant when they said it would be all right for me to attend the nobles’ party.
After talking with the adults for a while, I wanted a short break, so I headed to the refreshment corner with food and drinks.
A servant brought me tea, and I took a seat at an empty table in the corner to catch my breath.
I’m not used to talking with so many people, so I was tired.
As I sipped my tea, absent-mindedly gazing at the party hall, a lively group of children approached.
I wondered what was happening, then I heard their voices.
“Count Cardiff’s daughter, you look beautiful again today.”
“Could it be that you are even more beautiful than Princess Flora?”
Apparently, it was a group gathered around Letty.
Letty is the daughter of the Count’s family hosting today’s party.
She’s a beautiful girl, and with her family’s high status, she’s quite popular.
Incidentally, Princess Flora, the fourth daughter of the Royal Family, is said to be a famous beauty.
Not that I’ve ever met her.
It was fine if they wanted to talk to Letty, but dealing with a bunch of noble kids seemed troublesome, so I thought about moving to another seat—just as someone spoke to me.
“Will, I finally get to talk to you. You were surrounded by those adult nobles, so it was hard to get close.”
“Eh? Was I?”
Letty made her way through the crowd and came right up to me.
“Well? Does this bag and dress suit me?”
She wore a beige dress and carried a dark brown handbag.
‘Ah, that’s the bag I gave her.’
“It looks great on you. And… you’re actually using the bag I made.”
“Of course I am. It’s a wonderful item, and you made it for me.”
Then, showing off the bag to the other children, she said, “William made this for me. He even built a really cool, big warehouse in their garden. The Production Skill is truly amazing, isn’t it?”
“My, what a wonderful bag! Would it be possible for me to have one as well?”
“May I visit sometime? I’d love to see the things William has made and the warehouse, too!”
Suddenly surrounded by noble children, I was bewildered, but Letty gave me a little wink.
My childhood friend is as kind as my parents.
In this world, I really am blessed with good people around me.
It’s a world of swords and magic, but since my Production Skill is a little special, I want to be useful to everyone.
With that in mind, I decided to work even harder to improve my Production Skill.